A Farmington Hills Woman Files Lawsuit Against Her Landlord Over Apartment Fire That Left Her Homeless
Theresa Stott, a mother of two who lost her home in a devastating apartment fire last Easter, has filed a lawsuit against her landlord and property managers, alleging years-long safety failures and retaliation. The complaint names Brookfield Management Company, Botsford Place Terrace Apartments LLC, and several individuals connected to ownership and management.
Stott's family was forced to flee their apartment just hours before Easter after a fire broke out in the building's bathroom. According to Stott, she had put away groceries and shut off the bathroom light when she started hearing what sounded like running water. However, instead of water, she heard wiring crackling, which she believes is indicative of an electrical issue.
Stott disputes the official account that smoke alarms were working at the time of the fire, claiming that no smoke alarms were sounding whatsoever. She has provided video evidence to support her claims and alleges that management failed to enforce a personal protection order (PPO) issued against her by another tenant.
The lawsuit accuses Brookfield Management Company and its affiliates of ignoring maintenance requests, having unsafe electrical conditions, heat outages, and failing to protect Stott's family from a neighbor who threatened them. The fire appears to have started in a concealed space between the first and second floors in the wall and ceiling, according to Farmington Hills Fire Marshal Jason Baloga.
Stott is pursuing her case without an attorney, citing that she feels bullied by the court system but believes the evidence will come out in the end. She has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help herself and her daughters, who are struggling to secure stable housing after being displaced from their home.
The city had previously received complaints about the building since 2016, including reports of structural issues, expired permits, and poor property management. However, none of the defendants have returned messages for comment.
Theresa Stott, a mother of two who lost her home in a devastating apartment fire last Easter, has filed a lawsuit against her landlord and property managers, alleging years-long safety failures and retaliation. The complaint names Brookfield Management Company, Botsford Place Terrace Apartments LLC, and several individuals connected to ownership and management.
Stott's family was forced to flee their apartment just hours before Easter after a fire broke out in the building's bathroom. According to Stott, she had put away groceries and shut off the bathroom light when she started hearing what sounded like running water. However, instead of water, she heard wiring crackling, which she believes is indicative of an electrical issue.
Stott disputes the official account that smoke alarms were working at the time of the fire, claiming that no smoke alarms were sounding whatsoever. She has provided video evidence to support her claims and alleges that management failed to enforce a personal protection order (PPO) issued against her by another tenant.
The lawsuit accuses Brookfield Management Company and its affiliates of ignoring maintenance requests, having unsafe electrical conditions, heat outages, and failing to protect Stott's family from a neighbor who threatened them. The fire appears to have started in a concealed space between the first and second floors in the wall and ceiling, according to Farmington Hills Fire Marshal Jason Baloga.
Stott is pursuing her case without an attorney, citing that she feels bullied by the court system but believes the evidence will come out in the end. She has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help herself and her daughters, who are struggling to secure stable housing after being displaced from their home.
The city had previously received complaints about the building since 2016, including reports of structural issues, expired permits, and poor property management. However, none of the defendants have returned messages for comment.
! I mean, can you even imagine hearing what sounds like running water in your bathroom, only to find out it's electrical wiring causing a fire? It's just so avoidable, and it's disgusting that the management didn't take care of basic maintenance stuff. Stott's family deserves so much better than that, especially with her kids involved 
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. She's already dealing with the trauma of losing her home, and now she has to navigate this whole justice system thing too?
. Stott's GoFundMe campaign is a great idea, though - maybe we can rally around her and help get some justice done 
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she should be able to live in a safe place without worrying about getting electrocuted or trapped in a fire 
i'm sending all my positive vibes to theresa and her daughters 
hope they get the support they need on this gofundme campaign 
- like, if they didn't do something right, shouldn't they just fix it or admit they messed up? instead, they keep on keeping on, ignoring all these complaints and then BAM! someone gets hurt and suddenly everything's a lawsuit 
. Theresa Stott seems legit tho, her story sounds super tragic 
I mean, doesn't "years-long safety failures" kinda sound like a pretty standard complaint around here? 
The fact that the city got complaints about the building since 2016 and still didn't do anything is wild... but hey, I guess when you're already in a crappy situation, why not just roll with it, right? 
this is insane, i've heard rumors that brookfield management has been getting complaints from tenants for years but they just keep ignoring them. like, who puts their building on fire and then doesn't fix the electrical issues afterwards? 
Stott's got some solid evidence and it's only a matter of time before she wins this case. it's crazy that she's doing it without an attorney tho... i hope she gets that compensation 
, I mean Stott's family was there too, they could've taken precautions like shutting off utilities or leaving the apartment when maintenance was scheduled 
. Don't get me wrong, Brookfield Management Company sounds dodgy but we don't know all the facts yet 
I'm not saying they're innocent, just that it's complicated 
. No smoke alarms sounding? That's a huge red flag! I'm so glad she has video evidence to back up her claims 
. It's not like she's asking for much, just basic safety measures... but it seems Brookfield Management Co is more concerned with covering their own behinds than fixing the problems 
. I hope Theresa gets justice & can get stable housing ASAP for her girls 
I'm no expert, but it sounds like some major negligence went down.
. But seriously, if complaints about the building have been going in since 2016... how did this all go unchecked for so long? 
. I'm sending some love and support to Stott and her family, they need it right now 
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, like this guy trying to cook ramen noodles in a microwave for like 10 minutes straight... it was hilarious! I mean, who does that? Anyway, back to apartment fires and landlords... can you imagine having to deal with all those problems and still not being able to get anyone's attention? It's just so frustrating. And the fact that they ignored all those maintenance requests and complaints is just crazy. I guess that's why they say "if it ain't broke don't fix it"... but when is the last time something breaks around here, right? 
. It feels like Theresa is fighting an uphill battle and I just want her and her daughters to get the justice and support they deserve